Faro: Goddess of the Waters

Shot on HD film at a sumptuous 24 frames a second, Faro: Goddess of the Waters beats down on you in the darkness of the cinema like the hot Malian sun in the film. It is this kind of authenticity and attention to detail that makes director Salif Traore's work (successfully received at both Cannes and Berlin) accessible to a wider audience.

Opening with a long tracking shot over the river Faro, the film follows Zan, an educated engineer, who returns to his home village where the locals worship the river as a goddess. His reasoned incredulity at this show of blind faith is recognisable to graduates from Tollcross to Timbuktu, but Traore manages to remain completely impartial throughout the story, giving equal weight to Zan's rational beliefs and the traditions of the elders of the village. He concentrates particular attention on Penda, a young woman who has lost her father and sincerely believes she is possessed by the spirit of the river. When she nearly drowns the entire village is brought to a standstill, and Zan's lonely voice of reason is shown to be completely ineffectual in the face of strong communal belief. The conflict between tradition and progress - a narrative theme as old and universal as the hills - is given fresh life through this simple story.

The soundtrack, largely dominated by dialogue in the local vernacular, also includes some artfully applied traditional music from Bassekou Kouyate; and the actors, some of whom are amateur, all give great performances. But it is the heat and riotous colour of the African landscape that will stay with you long after you leave the cinema.